Question

My daughter is a little over four months old, but she hasn’t rolled over yet. Even when she’s placed on her side, she doesn’t move. Will she roll over on her own?

Answer

Generally speaking, children around three months old begin to roll over, but it’s quite common for them to learn it at four months, so there’s no need to be overly concerned. Here are some suggestions to help your child practice rolling over:

  1. Place your child on their back on the bed and gently hold their legs. Put the right leg on top of the left leg, allowing the child’s waist to twist naturally. After practicing several times, the child will learn to roll over.
  2. Have your child lie on their side on the bed. Call their name from behind and use noisy toys to attract them, prompting them to turn and naturally transition into a supine position.
  3. Once your child can roll from supine to lateral to reach for a toy, you can place the toy a bit farther away so that the child can roll over naturally. But don’t place it too far away; this could cause the child to lose interest in practicing and extend the time needed for independent rolling over.